Bus from Thessaloniki to Athens

Posted by YTravel (Seattle, WA, USA) on 02/07/22 01:46 AM

Hi. I'm planning to take a bus from Thessaloniki to Athens, as my goal is to see the countryside. Once I arrive in Athens, it's unclear to me if the neighborhood around the bus station is relatively safe for a solo female hotel stay. Anyone have experience staying in this neighborhood? If yes, what was the vibe?

The day after, I'm renting a car (the rental agency is picking me up and driving me to the main highway) and heading to Kefalonia, so it's not necessary for me to be in the heart of Athens but I want to be convenient to the bus station so I'm not spending more to get somewhere.

Posted by Badger

Uppsala, Sweden

02/07/22 09:18 AM

6970 posts

Have you considered the train instead? More comfortable, faster and will still allow you to see the countryside.

Posted by YTravel OP

Seattle, WA, USA

02/07/22 09:53 PM

38 posts

Thanks Badger. I have considered the train however I'm actually starting from Serres, so there's less flexibility with the schedule, but I still might do a train. It does seem that the hotels better for my situation are in the central zone, so I'll take a taxi from either the bus or train station and the car rental people can deal with the traffic getting to me the next day.

Posted by Alan

Brighton, UK

02/08/22 07:35 AM

1419 posts

There are two bus terminals in Athens. The Thessaloniki bus comes into A which is at Kiffisou Street. This is basically a ring road and there are no hotels in the area. It’s all pretty industrial.

There’s a taxi rank and a cab to the centre is about 15 euros. You can also catch a bus 051 which drops you below Omonia Square. It’s not a very pleasant part of town but there are a fair number of tourist hotels there. I’ve not been into the area for a couple of years and the authorities have been making efforts to clear it up. Perhaps someone who has been more recently will comment.

It’s worth checking whether the bus stops at a metro before it reaches Kiffissou. Some do but I don’t know if that’s true of the bus from Thessaloniki. If so you’re best bet is to get off and take the Metro to the centre.